The Dream
by Insaine
Summary: "I tried to slam my fist against the newly formed ice but the water slowed my hand, lessening the power of the hit. Who would have thought ice could freeze over so quickly?" The nightmares that plague PJ's subconscious have haunted him for years, but there is one question that haunts him. Are these really nightmares or something more?


I tried to slam my fist against the newly formed ice but the water slowed my hand, lessening the power of the hit. Who would have thought ice could freeze over so quickly? I felt the cold water beginning to numb my skin and my lungs burned; begging for air. I beat the ice in vain trying desperately to save myself. I watched helplessly as my vision began to go black and I felt myself loose consciousness. This is what dying feels like, I thought as I lost consciousness.

My body shot up into the darkness of the room and I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. It was just a nightmare. On the nightstand next to me my phone lit up. I shied away from the harsh light, beaming up at me through the darkness. I didn't bother checking the caller ID as I pressed the phone to my ear. "It was the dream again, wasn't it?" I asked into the phone, already knowing the answer. "Ya." The small voice whispered back to me through the phone. I spared my alarm clock a glance. Three A.M. shined bright red at me - right on time - as usual. "You had the dream too. Didn't you, PJ"? I exhaled a breath I didn't know I'd been holding since I'd answered the phone. She had confirmed my fears, and now I confirmed hers, "Ya, I did." I heard a sigh on the other end. "Kristine, what are we going to do about this dream?" Kristine and I had been having the same reoccurring dream for years. Each time it felt more real then the last, each time we'd wake up in pools of sweat, each time at three A.M.

"It's just a dream," Kristine's fragile voice repeated the words I'd been saying to her for years. I shook my head to myself in the darkness, "It's more then a dream, Kristine." There was silence between us for what seemed like hours. The only sound was our breathing. Finally Kristine broke the silence, "I know." We'd known for a while that this dream was more than just a dream, but neither of us had wanted to be the one to admit it. Once again silence filled the air between us. Kristine took a sharp intake of breath. "What is it?" I asked, afraid she was going to cry. The dream almost always left her in a pool of tears. "There's someone in the house." She whispered. There was a distant crash on the other end of the phone and then the line went dead.

I don't remember getting out of bed or getting dressed. I simply found myself in front of Kristine's doorstep. The door was wide open and light flooded out onto the street. I walked in silently and walked up the stairs toward her room. The stairs groaned under my weight and sounded abnormally loud in the otherwise silent house. I carefully stepped over the broken glass in the hall, as one of the picture frames had fallen and shattered. The door to what I knew to be Kristine's bedroom was ajar. I pushed the door open and peered in. The bed was un-kept and the room looked ransacked, but there was no sign of Kristine. I almost turned to leave when I heard a thud in the closet.I walked over to it cautiously. I placed my hand on the knob and the metal seemed to freeze under my touch. I began to turn the knob when I felt a hand fall on my shoulder. I released the knob and turned quickly to find Kristine's face only centimeters away from mine. I almost jumped out of my skin at the reality of our closeness. A smile played on her lips as she took my hand and led me to the bed. "Kristine, what happened?" I asked, surprised, but her sudden ease. "Nothing happened." She said slipping under the sheets and motioning for me to do the same. I complied and she snuggled closer to me. She kissed my cheek as she had when we were children. "Kristine, I-" She cut me off by placing her lips on mine and pulled me closer. "Stay with me," she whispered musically into my ear and it was over.

I didn't remember falling asleep, but when I opened my eyes dull rays of sun were trickling in through the blinds. Kristine was no longer in the bed beside me as I climbed out. A thump came from the closet, like the one from the night before, but more faint. I walked over to the closet, unafraid now that I was in the safety of the sunlight. The door flew open and a body fell out of the closet. Her blond hair was dirty and covered her face, but I recognized her immediately despite it. Kristine lay on the floor bruised and bloody and broken. I fell to my knees and tried to pick her up, but she fought against me weakly. "Kristine, it's me. It's PJ." Her normally bright blue eyes had faded to a cloudy grey and were losing their luster quickly, "Kristine-" "Why didn't you open the closet?" She choked out in a sob, barely audible. I made to answer, but the words wouldn't come as my body was pulled from the nightmare into a dark room.

I flew into a sitting position and tried to slow my rapid breathing. My body was covered in a cold sweat as my phone lit up beside me. I answered, knowing who it would be. Kristine's frightened voice whispered to me through the darkness, "Did you have the dream again, too?"


End file.
